Ego “Death”, Enlightenment, and other misunderstandings.

I believe it’s safe to say that most of us will f*!k up royally many times, perhaps forever, on our path to Self Knowledge. And that's ok. 

The ego is stubborn. It operates from the mind-body-intellect perspective (I AM “THIS OR THAT”), and it perceives life through the lens of duality. 

It compartmentalizes life into good and bad, love and hatred, acceptable and unacceptable etc. It makes us believe we are separate from others, from the Whole, thus, we suffer.

“Attaining” Enlightenment means that the Consciousness (I AM) realizes its True Self, its non-dual nature in the universe, and it no longer perceives itself as a “separate-from-Consciousness-being” constantly needing to control the outcome of an ego illusion (body/mind/intellect.)

Your true self (Pure consciousness) knows the ego. But your ego doesn’t know your true self.

It's tricky. 

On the one hand, one of the primary purposes of the ego is to defend and protect (fight or flight). It helps us survive and demand changes and balance in this chaotic physical plane. Think of any rights or causes you actively support. 

On the negative side, it is also the creator of our sadness, greed, pride, desires, anger, envy, and lust. 

It’s like a ticking bomb you can't get rid of —but you might be able to deactivate. 

Now, let’s imagine for a minute we reach a time when we believe we have finally shed all mental constructs and desires, the truth of being one with all has finally been integrated and we are the embodiment of love on Earth. Does that mean we have successfully dissolved the ego? How do we know if we have truly reached “enlightenment”, or are we possibly just creating another ego identity for ourselves?

You see, the simple act of asking these questions means that we are still operating from a mental construct of duality. 

I see a lot of brothers and sisters claiming to have reached “enlightenment” lately, whether through meditation, psychedelic experiences, or some other personal exploration path.

I deeply encourage and support the commitment to Self Realization and any practice that assists us in it. I even facilitate some of these practices. The problem is that too many people seem to be caught up in the “destruction” of the ego and earning some kind of “enlightenment master” label,  not realizing that’s the creation of new ego identity in itself!

Let me be clear. If you are discussing that you have attained enlightenment, you haven’t. And please don’t take my word for it, do your own research.

First, Pure Consciousness, Nirvana, Moksha, Self Knowledge, Enlightenment, call it what you prefer, is desire-less and peaceful. It’s a sacred Union, the non-dual, True Self no longer identifying with the illusion of body-mind-intellect-SEPARATENESS. It doesn’t know the dancer from the dance. It is the end of the intellectual self and the beginning of Wholeness.

It is impossible to claim enlightenment if you’re enlightened because the need to claim it is in itself is an illusion. 

Second, as long as we are experiencing life as human beings on Earth, the ego isn’t going anywhere. It is never destroyed, nor does it die. 

The ego is necessary to continue navigating this story we’ve created as Consciousness incarnated as a human. And that’s OK. Because even though we can't kill the ego, we can work towards TRANSCENDING it. 

And it starts by surrendering to the destruction of every limiting belief about ourselves, other people, and the world (confronting our shadow), and being humble enough to understand that the path to Self Knowledge isn’t linear. 

So we might experience a “momentary enlightenment” or glimpse into our True Nature (Satori) and then something happens, and we begin to act from our ego again. 

To be committed to transcending the ego means understanding that unless you’re an actual Buddha or bodhisattva, you will go back and forth between these conscious and unconscious states. In and out our ultimate truth, as you figure out how to best spend your time on Earth.

AND THAT’S OK.

Until maybe one day the search to lose or attain or prove something comes to an end. And the only thing left to do is to laugh out loud because we finally understood that the end is the beginning, and the beginning is the end.

The Egyptian Phoenix

You've likely heard about the Phoenix Bird many times before. References to birds associated with the Phoenix and its symbolism are found in Eastern and Western religions and cultures. For example, the Greeks call it Phoenix, the Chinese Fèng Huáng, the Japanese Hō-ō, and the ancient Egyptians called it the Bennu. The image of the Phoenix can even be found on early Christian tombstones.

A depiction of a phoenix by Friedrich Justin Bertuch, 1806

One of the most detailed descriptions of the Phoenix bird is found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus (5th century B.C.). He writes as follows:

"There is also another sacred bird called the Phoenix which I did not myself see except in painting, for in truth he comes to them very rarely, at intervals, as the people of Heliopolis say, of five hundred years; and these say that he regularly comes when his father dies; and if he is like the painting, he is of this size and nature, that is to say, some of his feathers are of gold color and others red, and an outline and size, he is as nearly as possible like an eagle. This bird they say (but I cannot believe the story) contrives as follows: setting forth from Arabia he conveys his father, they say, to the temple of the Sun (Helios) plastered up in myrrh, and buries him in the temple of the Sun; and he conveys him thus: he forms first an egg of myrrh as large as he is able to carry, and then he makes trial of carrying it, and when he has made trial sufficiently, then he hollows out the egg and places his father within it and plasters over with other myrrh that part of the egg where he hollowed it out to put his father in, and when his father is laid in it, it proves (they say) to be of the same weight as it was; and after he has plastered it up, he conveys the whole to Egypt to the temple of the Sun. Thus they say that this bird does."

Artist unknown

But how did the Greeks arrive at their version of the Phoenix? To answer this question, we should first take a quick look at the timeline of the oldest human civilizations.

Scholars agree that the first cradles of civilization (not to be confused with the beginning of human habitation in a particular area or the beginning of a specific ethnic group) are Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, and Ancient China.

Evidence of human habitation in ancient Egypt stretches back tens of thousands of years. However, the widespread settlement (civilization) began around 6,000 BCE (and could potentially be a long time before that).

Since the civilization of Ancient Greece emerged into the light of history around 700 BCE, we can agree that the Egyptians were the first to speak about this mythical Phoenix bird. 

They called it the Bennu.

Art by ElectricDjed

The description of the Egyptian Bennu Bird partially matches the narrative by Herodotus. Both the Bennu and the Phoenix are birds of the Sun; both are self-created, rather than being born from other creatures, both undergo death and become symbols of regeneration.

"Bennu is mostly depicted as a heron, with a long straight back, its head adorned with two erect feathers, and its plumage red and golden. It was the sacred bird of Heliopolis, the city of the Sun, where it stayed on the ben-ben stone or obelisk inside the town's sanctuary. Its true home was, however, the Arabian desert; the bird only went back to Heliopolis to die and be reborn. The Bennu was associated with the Sun God Ra and with Osiris, God of the Underworld, who is said to have given the secret of eternal life to Bennu." (Text courtesy of onmarkproductions.com).

As we read in the paragraph above, the Bennu is identified with Re, the ancient Egyptian Sun God. The Egyptians considered the sacred bird a symbol of rebirth and immortality, and the ancient Egyptian myth says that his song set about the beginning of life in the world.

Image from cryptidarchives.fandom.com

The myth says that on the very first dawn, the firebird was skimming over the waters of the Nun. Eventually, it came to rest on a rock, and as it did so, it opened its beak, and a cry echoed over the water of the Nun. The world was filled with "that which it had not known"; thus, the song of the Bennu Bird determined "what is and is not." 

The Bennu Bird began the cycle of time and brought life and light to the world. Depending on the sources, the Bennu Bird did this as an aspect of Atum; in others, it did it as an aspect of Ra.

So significant was the Phoenix / Bennu Bird in history that its symbolism remains a constant inspiration and symbol of rebirth and transformation across vastly different cultures. 

So perhaps it doesn't matter where the myth originated. Perhaps what really matters is that millennia after, it continues to motivate us to strip away everything that doesn't serve us to reach a Higher Consciousness in this lifetime. 

Sekhmet Goddess as a form of Shakti (The Divine Feminine)

The nature of sacred feminine (Shakti) energy is fundamentally Love. A love that can be profoundly wise and motherly, but also fierce, wild, and protective; A giver of love, a creator, and a guardian.

The term Shakti refers to multiple ideas. Its general definition is dynamic feminine energy responsible for the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. It is identified as female energy because shakti is responsible for all creation, as mothers are responsible for birth. Without Shakti, nothing in this universe would happen; she stimulates Shiva, which is passive (divine masculine) energy in the form of consciousness, to create.

There are many powerful archetypal energies across many different cultures resembling this divine Shakti energy.

One of the most important ones in the Ancient Egyptian civilization is the lion-headed Goddess, Sekhmet.

Sekhmet is an essential sun deity in ancient Egypt. She is considered the power of Ra (Eye of Ra) and protector of Ma'at, the representation of Divine truth, balance, and justice.

On the one hand, she is known as the "Lady of Life,"; a nourishing, creative force and patron of all Healers. But, on the other hand, she's known as the "Lady of Flame." The "goddess of destruction" whose warrior-like spirit frightened the Egyptians. 

There are many ways that Sekhmet resembles the Divine Feminine Shakti. Here are just a few examples I have found:

1. Sekhmet means 'powerful female'; "Sekhem" means "powerful." Goddess Shakti in Indian mythology is the "powerful goddess"; the word 'Shakti' means power.

2. Sekhmet is an essential leonine deity of Egypt; Goddess Durga, an archetypal form of Shakti (divine feminine energy/ power), protects her devotees from evil forces and safeguards them. She rides a lion.

3. Sekhmet breathes fire; Kali, a form of Shakti, is depicted with fire emanating from her mouth.

4. Sekhmet, like Shakti energy itself, has both dangerous and benevolent aspects.

5. Sekhmet is portrayed with minimal clothing or naked in sculpture. Goddesses who represent Shakti are often portrayed nude, especially Chinnamasta (the Tantric Goddess of Transformation), a form of Shakti with ferocious power.

6. Sekhmet is associated with Hathor, who is associated with Phallus. Shakti is the wife of Shiva, also represented as Lingam.

7. Sekhmet is the mother goddess and mother of the king. In India, Shakti is addressed as 'mother.'

8. Sekhmet was also called the 'Mistress of dread' and other names describing her dangerous power. Shakti has plenty of such names.

9. Sekhmet is associated with the power of sending a plague or getting rid of it. Rituals are performed to appease the goddess to prevent/cure them. There is a Shakti temple in Bangalore to fight the plague called Plague Mariamma. In India, people pray to Shakti to protect or heal them from epidemics such as Smallpox, Chickenpox, and plagues. The diseases are themselves called 'Amma', meaning mother Shakti.

10. Priests and healers of Sekhmet practiced medicine, healing spells, and prayers and used amulets in their rituals. Shakti temples receive many sacred threads, lockets, and charms asking for protection from various diseases and distress.

I find these resemblances to Shakti are important to understand the dual nature of Sekhmet as a loving but fierce mother who shows us how to set firm boundaries. She’s a powerful force of the feminine creative principle. She is both a creative and destructive force. She has the power of sending plagues upon the enemies of God, but she also has the power of protecting people from plagues and pestilence.

What is important to her is Divine balance. Above all, she is "The one who loves Ma'at" which means "the one who loves balance, justice, truth and detests evil."

When we connect deeper to this warrior(ess) energy, we realize that her destruction is cleansing and potentially offering us an opportunity for transmutation to be more authentically ourselves. 

This archetypal energy of the divine feminine teaches us how to live more fiercely, protecting and healing ourselves to live as the empowered, divine beings that we indeed are. 

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My personal experience: An spontaneous initiation at the Great Pyramid of Giza

I began my pilgrimage through Kemet (Egypt) on 11/11/2020 (the so-powerful 11/11 portal).

The journey started with a visit to the Great Pyramid of Giza.

I had set an intention for myself that I was open to releasing any blockages and receiving whatever my soul needed from this experience.

I was prepared to feel altered states of consciousness and all kinds of energy moving through me during this trip, but I wasn't expecting the changes to start happening immediately on the very first day of my journey.

Upon approaching the Great Pyramid, I could already feel my heart chakra vibrating, moving things, awakening. The closer I moved to the Pyramid, the more my heart opened.

I could feel that something was combining energetically with each of my subtle bodies in some upwards spiral. Everything in me was touched and revolutionized by it. I was experiencing a deep energetic release in all my energy systems.

It happened so fast, but with such intensity that I had the urge to start crying, or more clearly sobbing, in what felt like a re-encounter with a vibrational field familiar enough to have experienced in the past, but never in this lifetime. It felt as if I had just returned home after believing it was gone forever.

After some meditative time to integrate these feelings, we made our way into the Great Pyramid. I could feel my frequency still rising as we walked up the passages.

When we arrived at the "King's chamber," my first instinct was to take off my sandals and walk barefoot around the room. (We were fortunate to have the place pretty much for ourselves.) Eventually, I took a seat right next to the "sarcophagous." -"You're now in what the ancient Egyptians considered the center of the world,"- my friend Rabie said.

The energy in the room was beyond any words, and I never imagined that being in the middle of a dark, 10,000+-year-old "tomb" (more on this later) made of limestone and granite, which primary function is still a mystery, could feel so incredibly warm and comforting. After meditating for a few minutes and still sitting on the floor, I began a chanting prayer of the Gayatri mantra, a mantra that has been in my practice for years.

(My friend Rabie took this picture of me before we left the Pyramid, and I’m so grateful he did!)

I was utterly amazed at the way acoustics carried in the room. I can't quite describe it. Sound traveled around the room like spirits dancing free.

I have never in my entire life have experienced acoustics like these before. It seemed as if the place was built for it. As I kept chanting, praying, I could feel my energy centers completely opening; my entire body was vibrating and entering a deep estate of peace and alignment in a very short time.

Time slowed down, and it felt like an important upgrade of frequency. A before and after. Like I had just reclaimed my heart. I can't explain everything that happened there that day. But, I can tell you that I could feel every atom of my body vibrating in a frequency so motherly, nurturing and intense, that I had no choice but to let go of all control and dive deep into the unknown.

My heart felt lighter, aligned with purpose. My mood lifted, and my tiredness was gone. I had arrived in Egypt with a painful health issue that had kept me up many nights and had me taking anti-inflammatory remedies for months.

And while this was not my primary intention, I did walk out of the Great Pyramid without any physical pain. And the pain didn't come back the next day or the following week. It never came back; I was healed, which makes complete sense considering the energetic alignment that I encountered.

My body, mind, and spirit shifted energy at a quantum level. Of course, not every person has or will experience something like this at the Great Pyramid, which is completely fine.

But I sincerely believe that setting an intention is crucial when visiting sacred sites with a history of healing or when involved in spiritual practices. Letting go of control can feel incredibly empowering at the right moment.

I am just one of many who can attest to this mysterious, healing high frequency at the Great Pyramid. A lot has been written about it, and we are still learning. The primary function of the Egyptian pyramids it's still unknown.

There is no actual confirmation that the Great Pyramid was built in the time of Keops. It absolutely could have been built a long time before that period, and many ancient Egypt experts agree with this theory.

Nobody can confirm that the Pyramids were tombs, as we have never found an original mummy in any of the pyramids in Egypt. We are talking about 128 pyramids. There is no proof that the King's Chamber's primary usage was a burial room.

Very likely, each room in the Great Pyramid had its unique role, and as mentioned, what this might have been, remains unclear. However, more and more studies suggest that ancient Egyptians built these resonating structures to amplify the therapeutic effects of sound during religious ceremonies.

An interesting fact to consider is that some studies have confirmed the strong presence of infrasound in the Pyramid, particularly in the Dead-End passage. We are surrounded by infrasound every day (wind, surf, storms, heartbeat, and respiration).

However, it is intriguing that we keep finding compelling evidence suggesting that multiple ancient monuments seem to have been designed specifically to generate infrasound. Studies have detected these sub-aural sounds in several caves in southwest Europe bearing painted art from the Upper Palaeolithic age (42000-9600 BC), at the Great Pyramid other megalithic monuments worldwide.

The 5500 y.o. West Kennet Long Barrow monument in England is a great example of this. There is much evidence that the pyramid builders possessed an advanced knowledge of sound technology that we cannot fully understand right now.

For example, the rock-cut Dead-end Passage inside the Subterranean Chamber of the Great Pyramid might well have functioned as a sound resonance tube, generating infrasound with a base frequency in the range of 5 Hz.

We don't know what infrasound's effect might have been in participants. Perhaps a priest granted access to the rituals involving the use of infrasound, and the participant experienced a deep altered state of consciousness and profound healing? Much like the combination of a shamanic journey and quantum therapy?

We can only speculate. There is a lot of history backing up the theory of ancient civilizations using sub-aural sounds for some specific ritualistic purpose, and we can't discard any possibilities. Thankfully our ancestors have left many cues and wisdom for us to learn if we are looking for it.

My short time at the Great Pyramid was profound, beautiful, and life-altering, and I have tried my best to convey it in these few words. There is nothing like experiencing its frequency and power in person to really understand it. Perhaps these words will motivate you to write your own story of healing and alignment at the Great Pyramid.

I hope you do.